Article

Despite increasingly widespread adoption of vacuum-assisted suspension systems in
prosthetic clinical practices, there remain gaps in the body of scientific
knowledge guiding clinicians' choices of existing products. In this study, we
identified important pump-performance metrics and developed techniques to
objectively characterize the evacuation performance of prosthetic vacuum pumps.
The sensitivity of the proposed techniques was assessed by characterizing the
evacuation performance of two electrical (Harmony e-Pulse [Ottobock; Duderstadt,
Germany] and LimbLogic VS [Ohio Willow Wood; Mt. Sterling, Ohio]) and three
mechanical (Harmony P2, Harmony HD, and Harmony P3 [Ottobock]) prosthetic pumps
in bench-top testing. Five fixed volume chambers ranging from 33 cm(3) (2 in.(3))
to 197 cm(3) (12 in.(3)) were used to represent different air volume spaces
between a prosthetic socket and a liner-clad residual limb. All measurements were
obtained at a vacuum gauge pressure of 57.6 kPa (17 inHg). The proposed
techniques demonstrated sensitivity to the different electrical and mechanical
pumps and, to a lesser degree, to the different setting adjustments of each pump.
The sensitivity was less pronounced for the mechanical pumps, and future
improvements for testing of mechanical vacuum pumps were proposed. Overall, this
study successfully offers techniques feasible as standards for assessing the evacuation performance of prosthetic vacuum pump devices.

Langue : ANGLAIS